Starling Whistler

Musician and writer. Friend to hummingbirds, dark trees, and gray northern seas. Nom de plume.

#writer #writingcommunity #wip #pnw #piano #diary #music

Home Page: https://umbrere.com
Jazz Piano Trio with Extra Sauce: https://deepgraysea.com
Alien Funk Band: https://drugpilots.com

Public Key

npub17kpk0mvys2c3nqlxm3qd8tf7c39kkxnvdldwp50m9qp4gu6rv3ys2t4pum

NIP-05 Address

starlingw_at_mstdn.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0tqm8akzg9vges0ndcsxn45lvgjmtrfkxlkhq68ajsq65wdpkgjgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsprys3c

Publishing to

nostr.mom

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub17kpk0mvys2c3nqlxm3qd8tf7c39kkxnvdldwp50m9qp4gu6rv3ys2t4pum

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Last Notes

2026-10-19 23:30:53 UTC

Went for a walk and saw a little quail cross the road, a bug in its mouth. Can't remember the last time I saw one around here. Then got home and there were four on my driveway. Must be World Quail Day. Everybody party.

2026-10-14 01:44:20 UTC

My new album came out last week. It's a jazz piano trio augmented by orchestral, synthetic, and world instruments. All instrumental, true stories. Give it a listen if you're curious. Making Peace With My Ghosts:
https://deepgraysea.com/making-peace-with-my-ghosts-album/

2026-09-25 16:59:16 UTC

First storm of the season blowing in. Drenching rain and winds high enough to get the big leaf maples dancing. Fallen branches all over. Power flickers all morning; not a good day to update synthesizer firmware. Sipping coffee and looking out the window.

2026-09-04 03:15:16 UTC

I wonder if cave men & women ever trimmed their fingernails. Maybe filed them on a rock or something. Probably there's a scientific Journal Of Paleolithic Grooming out there that has all the answers.

2026-08-12 19:41:35 UTC

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I think so too. They’re native to the area.

2026-07-10 20:11:23 UTC

Complimented a neighbor a while back on the big beautiful clump of irises in his front yard. He just stopped by with a bag full of plants he’d divided. Know just where to plant them.

2026-05-14 19:41:22 UTC

The “lost my job” vs “have a new job” messages in my feed running about 20 to 1 lately. Sounds pretty rough out there. Best of fortune to all the seekers.

2026-05-13 17:25:02 UTC

A neighbor has a great ecosystem going in his front yard. It has a steep south slope with big fruit trees at the top. Digger bees have made their homes in the slope for years. They awaken in early spring, pollinate the trees, dig little holes, lay their eggs, and die. He keeps their slope unmowed while they do their thing, then gets lots of fruit later. The bees never bother anyone.

2026-05-03 01:03:14 UTC

Our neighbor used AI to create a song about our ‘hood. It’s a good song, soulful and low-key, with good production. I’ll admit being conflicted about it, but can acknowledge the kind thoughts and clever thinking that went into it. We’re an agreeable country neighborhood where everyone gets along and shares eggs and vegetables and sourdough bread. Anyway, it was a good song, even if I hate AI.

2026-05-01 20:47:56 UTC

Three young trees in glorious bloom for May Day: an azara, a cider apple, and a crabapple. I planted all of them. If toots could transmit scents, you'd all want an azara.
#PNW #Gardening
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2026-04-27 18:53:10 UTC

Thinking about what a strange year I’ve had so far. Started out so incredibly sick, hospital, IV drugs, and then… health. Lost weight I needed to lose, have energy, getting things done, cut my hair. Like a hard reboot of me.

2026-03-27 01:47:25 UTC

Had the steam to plant a new little fruit tree today, a sour pie cherry. I think it'll stay a small tree. It was bare-root and looked really healthy. I have a slightly larger plum tree to plant tomorrow. Really nice day for working outside.
#pnw #Gardening
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2025-08-15 01:06:13 UTC

Amazing yield in our blackberry thicket this summer. I pick in the afternoons, and the coyotes and field mice take over at night. Plenty for everyone. I've been freezing them for winter baking. Tip: If you put shot glasses in the corners of your baking sheet, you can stack another on top in the freezer.
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2025-07-14 21:58:42 UTC

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"Now that's a baby." Made me laugh, thanks for that.

2025-06-27 23:59:43 UTC

Rebuilt veggie garden looking gardeny.
#Gardening #PNW
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2025-06-07 21:32:26 UTC

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Let’s go with vibrators.

2025-05-14 22:20:29 UTC

I finished a big project, praise me. All the beds built and filled with planting mix, and the family horticulturalists already doing their thing. Full teardown, weed everything, and build from scratch over a month or so. Supervised by curious deer and the swallows nesting in one of the birdhouses. Feels good to finish a big thing.
#PNW #Gardening
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2025-05-06 18:31:30 UTC

Materials handling day, trailering bark mulch out to the garden and spreading it on the paths.
There are times I despair of keeping up with this place, all the work it needs, how much I'd rather be in the studio. But then civilization happens, and a perfect day, and my outlook changes. I wouldn't have been able to do this last year. Seems my Long Covid is diminishing. And we'll be able to plant soon.
#Gardening #PNW
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2025-04-30 18:00:26 UTC

On my Union Break (Intl Order of Wheelbarrow Operators, Local 666) to share pictures of current grubby job. I'm using some half-composted old woodpiles to halfway fill the new raised beds. That way, we won't have such a spendy topsoil buy. These old woodpiles are prime salamander habitat, but the little guys will adapt. It's not bad work, and it's nice out. I'm old and take it kinda slow. Be nice when it's all done.
#PNW #Gardening
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2025-04-18 23:56:00 UTC

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Big Hillman Minx vibes here in the “please, hill, make it go” department. Good times! :-)

2025-04-17 21:17:13 UTC

Current garden project: dismantling all the rotting beds and getting rid of weeds. Planning new beds, mulch, soil, etc. Big redo that's hampered somewhat by my limited steam. I'll fill up a wheelbarrow and take a break. Maybe two/three loads a day and that's it for me. It'll get done, and it's nice out, so being patient with myself.
#PNW #Gardening
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2025-04-11 19:30:05 UTC

Big spring project is doing a teardown of our veggie garden. Wooden beds are crumbling, everythings gone feral, weeds, poor layout. Keeping the deer fence and grapevines. Lotta work. The old guy’s good for a couple hours of it and that’s it. Progress, though.

2025-03-21 22:57:04 UTC

Planting a couple hundred bulbs feels like a lot of work at the time, but then you get a little treat every spring.
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2025-03-05 17:46:07 UTC

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Orange Noise. I like it ( the term, not the noise).

2025-02-19 00:07:53 UTC

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No complaints so far. I'm not a power user by any means, we just have really bouncy electricity out in the country and they see us through glitches. Anyway, so far, so good.

2025-02-18 23:35:01 UTC

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I've got three Tripp Lite UPS boxes. I used their batteries for the earliest replacement, then tried the equivalent from MightyMax. Fit great and works fine.

2025-01-20 18:17:12 UTC

When the Washington Post and LA Times adopted their downward dog positions, I went searching for a new morning paper. I ended up subscribing to Le Monde in English and haven't regretted it. I'm much more comfortable with a European perspective, and they're independent. Anyway, if you're searching for an uncontaminated morning paper, it's a good one. Recommended.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/

2024-10-23 20:13:11 UTC

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“Threat Actress” would look great on a business card.

2024-09-29 00:54:47 UTC

Jackie's been helping me with house chores all day and now she's keeping an eye on things from her favorite stool in the hallway. Happy #Caturday
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